


After the Break-up

by TVgirll1971



Category: Whiskey Cavalier (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25755334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVgirll1971/pseuds/TVgirll1971
Summary: After a six month relationship, Frankie ends things with Will when their feelings seem to compromise a mission.
Relationships: Will Chase/Frankie Trowbridge
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. Rejection

**Author's Note:**

> My thought is Will and Frankie would've gotten together in Season 2 so this fic takes place throughout Season 3.

Will sat there at the bar alone.. It wasn't fair. He and Frankie were happy. For six months, they were a completely functional couple. Okay, so maybe Frankie did show some reluctance about taking their relationship public. Those first few months, it had to be under the radar. But once she got past that hurdle---once she was able to show how she felt without fear of anyone knowing--it was great! Being with her was as great as he thought it'd be. He told her she had the capacity to feel and he was right. He remembered when they first met--he pegged her as cold hearted. Little did he know how much passion was in that heart. Those six months with them as partners not only professionally but personally, they were the best of his life. Then one mission brought it all crashing down.

__

_“I think us being together is a mistake.” Frankie said solemnly, a few days after the mission._

_“What do you mean?” Will asked, anxious._

_“You saw what happened on the tarmac in Glasgow.” she argued. “I hesitated and Benedict got away.”_

_“We were fighting off his goons, Frankie. He would’ve gotten away if we were a couple or not.”_

_“Maybe. Or maybe those few seconds I hesitated would’ve made the difference in us catching up to him.”_

_“You don’t know that.” He argued back._

_“Neither do you. I told you before. What we do is too important to mess things up. The last mission proved that.”_

_“I don’t accept that.” He said, adamantly._

_“You don’t accept that?” she said, shocked._

_“No. I don’t. I think what we HAVE is too good to mess up.” After seeing her roll her eyes, he continued. “Can you honestly tell me what we had wasn’t worth having?”_

_“That’s not the point. The point is us being together compromises the mission—it compromises the team.”_

_“No, it doesn’t.” he insisted. “Are there some kinks we need to work out? Sure. But we can work through them.”_

_“We haven’t so far!” Frankie argued. “Ever since we got together, we’ve had close calls—moments where the mission almost went south because we were too focused on each other and not the mission. This time at the airport was just the last straw.”_

_“What are we supposed to do, Frankie?” he asked, angrily. “Not care if one is us is hurt or worse? Are we really not supposed to give a damn about each other on missions?”_

_“We’re supposed to trust that we can take care of ourselves. There was no reason for me think you couldn’t handle that fight, but I stopped fighting for a second to see how you were doing and the guy got away from me. THAT’S the problem.”_

_“So, we’re not supposed to care if one of us is dead or alive?” he asked, sarcastically._

_“You know that’s not I mean.” She folded her arms. “Let me ask you this. That mission in Bagdad when you were supposed to go straight to the control room but you heard a crash in my area and diverted to see if I was okay. If it was Ray, instead of me, would you have done the same thing?”_

_Will floundered. “Well, I, uh, I.”_

_“See? That’s what I mean.” Frankie replied. “We can’t be good partners if we’re emotionally involved. It colors our judgement.”_

_“We can work on it.” he insisted._

_“No, Will, we can’t.” she declared. “I’m sorry, but the only way this team is going to work is if we’re partners. Nothing more.”_

__

The door opening shook Will out of his reverie and he turned to see Frankie walk in. He wanted to confront her again. To argue that she was making a mistake; that they could be successful partners in every sense of the word. But every single time he confronted her, she shot him down. However, he had to try again.

“Frankie.” He called out as he walked over to her.

Frankie sighed. “This isn’t going to be about us getting back together again, is it? Because, frankly, I’m getting tired of having that conversation. “

“Well, excuse me.” He said, offended.

“it’s just that we’ve been over and over this. We can’t do this job and be together. Nothing you say is going to convince me otherwise.”

“But…” he began to argue.

“Stop. You’re not going to change my mind, Will. I’m sorry.” She said, her tone resolute.

Will stared at her as she walked to the other side of the room. A wave of bitterness hit him. The only reason they ended was because the scary assassin was too scared. It wasn’t right. 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

As Frankie did her weekly swimming workout at the gym, her thoughts were on Will. It’d been a few weeks since they’d broken up and to say that Will was taking it badly was an understatement. The man she once described as having a big, sappy heart turned to ice whenever she was around. He was acting exactly like he did with Ray after the whole Gigi thing. He was cold, distant, sarcastic. The whole point of the breakup was so they could go back to a healthy working relationship but Will was making it impossible to do that. Plus, he wasn’t even that subtle about it. Even Standish had taken to calling him “Mr. Crabby Pants” behind his back. Suddenly, the popped up from the water to see a man standing over her.

"Nice form." said the handsome man standing at the edge of the pool.

"Thanks." Frankie said, as she removed her goggles to get a better look. The man looked to be in his lower fifties. He was about Will's height with sandy brown hair and green eyes.

"Let me guess. You swam competitively." he said, his charming smile never leaving his face.

"Yeah. In high school. How can you tell?"

"Like I said---good form. That kind of form is taught."

"You a swimmer too?" she asked.

"Yep. Swim team captain in high school and college." he boasted.

"Ooh, impressive." Frankie said in a mocking tone. 

"Want to race?" he challenged good naturedly, as he squatted down in front of her.

She shook her head. "I’ve raced tall guys like you before. You have too much of an advantage."

"Okay. What about just for fun?"

"Fun?" she dubiously.

"Yeah, fun. I like to swim; you apparently like to swim. Why not do it at the same time?"

Frankie laughed. "Okay. Why not?"

The man jumped in the pool. “First, we should probably introduce ourselves. Jake Tanner." 

"Frankie Trowbridge." she responded. 

That evening, which was one of their regular nights out, Frankie told Susan about meeting Jake. 

“Ooh, was he cute?” Susan asked, obviously looking for details.

Frankie shrugged and smiled a little. “Yes. He’s older than I am but he’s kind of cute.”

“Ooh, I’m so excited for you!” Susan gushed.

Frankie rolled her eyes. “It’s no big deal. I’m probably never going to see him again.”

“You didn’t exchange numbers?” Susan asked, slightly disappointed.

“In the swimming pool? No, we didn’t.”

“You should have. You need to get out there, _carina.”_

“Really? I just broke up with your best friend weeks ago and you want me to start dating someone else?”

“First of all, you’re my friend too.” Susan stated. “Second, I completely understand your reasons for breaking things off with Will. I might not agree with them but I understand them. You were just so happy with Will. I don’t want you to close yourself off again. You deserve to be happy.”

“Even if it’s with someone other than Will?” Frankie asked.

“Absolutely.” Susan assured her. 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Not long after, the team was briefed on a mission which involved a company in New York called Randall industries that the FBI believed was laundering money for the Trust.

“New York again?” Standish whined. “When this gig started, we were in Europe all the time. Now, it seems like we spend half our time in New York.”

“I don’t plan the missions.” Ray explained. “They just come to me.”

“Well, lodge a complaint with management.” Standish griped.

“Yeah. I’ll do that.” Ray said, sarcastically. He then went on to explain that their mission was to nab a woman named Caitlin Winslow, the company’s Chief Financial Officer. “The Bureau thinks we can use her to get information on her boss, Bryan Randall.”

Standish looked at Will and smiled. Okay, kind of like when you guys worked in Connecticut a few years back. Only this time, Frankie doesn’t have a personal connection to anyone.”

“Probably for the best.” Will said, glaring at Frankie. “We know how much she *hates* getting emotionally involved.”

During the mission planning, Will (again!) shot down every single idea Frankie had. If he had legitimate concerns, it’d be one thing but Frankie knew Will was just being petty. Of course, when she called him on it, he’d come back with a snide remark which showed how petty he was. As always, the team noticed (because it was hard not to). Standish (and Ray for that matter) kept out of it because it was Will. Which was exactly the reason why Susan *did* try to get involved. Unfortunately, when she tried to get Will to discuss his feelings, he shut her down. _”I don’t want to work through my feelings, Susan. I am perfectly fine with my feelings so why don’t you mind your damned business?”_ Even Jai tried talking to Will, only to get a curt response. _I don’t care if you’re Frankie’s best friend. What’s going on between us is our own business. I’m *not* discussing it with you.”_

Despite Will’s ice-cold attitude, the mission proceeded smoothly, just like the others. However, there was one little wrinkle. When the time came to escort Winslow from her office building that evening, someone was waiting outside. 

“Jake Tanner. FBI.”

“You’re FBI?” Frankie asked, shocked.

“You too?” he asked, his eyes furrowed. 

“She’s CIA, actually.” Will blurted out before Frankie had a chance. Rattled that Tanner and Frankie seemed to know each other, he added. “Now, what the hell are you doing here?” 

“What the hell am I doing here?” Jake asked, matching Will’s aggressive tone. “I don’t remember anything about a joint FBI/CIA operation at this location. Besides, since when is the CIA allowed to operate on American soil?” 

“It’s need to know.” Will said, his voice hard. “And you, obviously, don’t have need to know.”

Susan stepped forward to ease the situation. “Dr. Susan Sampson. FBI. We’re here on a classified mission to get information from Ms. Winslow.”

“Well, Winslow is my informant so I want to know what the hell you want with her.”

“Do you now?” Will said, getting his hackles up.

"Will," Susan scolded.

Suddenly, Jai's voice came over comms. "Guys, do you think you could hurry this along please? The object is to NOT be noticed taking Winslow."

Susan turned back to Jake and continued. “Our current mission is classified at the highest level. However,” she added when Jake seemed ready to object, “we do have some leeway here. So, why don’t we have my colleague run a thorough background check on you? If everything turns out okay, we’ll meet with you at our safe house and we can discuss the situation there.”

“I’m supposed to trust you with my informant? For all I know, you’re going to take her to some CIA black site.”

Frankie rolled her eyes. “If that was true, the person doing the interrogating would be me, so why don’t I stay here with you until I get the all clear.”

“What?” Will exclaimed. “No!”

“Your friends don't talk to her until I get there. Deal?” Jake asked, looking at Frankie.

Frankie looked at Jake. Even though they'd only met once, he seemed to trust her and for reasons she couldn't explain, she felt the same way. “Deal.” she replied.

As Frankie waited with Jake for go ahead from the team, he attempted to get to know her better.

“So, how long have you been with the CIA?”

“I don’t answer personal questions, Agent Tanner. Not from people I’ve just met.” She pointed out, matter-of-factly.

“Ah, you’re the strong and silent type. I like that. You can call me Jake by the way. Mind if I tell you a little about me?”

Slightly intrigued but wary, Frankie replied. “Not if you’re going to tell me your whole life story. I don’t do small talk.”

Jake smiled. “Cliff notes then. I was born in Boston, worked at the Bureau almost twenty five years; mostly in white collar, married once--didn't stick. What about you?”

Frankie hesitated. “Like I said, I don’t just give out personal…”

“Okay, okay. What about one question? The most important question I have right now.”

“What?” she said, steeling herself for a question about her being in the CIA.

“You married? Seeing somebody?”

Surprised that that was his one question, Frankie paused for a moment and replied. “No. I was seeing someone but, it’s over.”

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Later, when Standish reported that Jake was clean, Frankie brought him to the Dead Drop.

"Where's Winslow?" Jake asked as soon as they got there.

"In the back with two of my colleagues." Susan reported, "Don't worry, no one is going talk to Ms. Winslow without you being there.

So we better make it quick then," Jake replied. "What exactly is this mission of yours?" After they told him of their long-term mission--destroy the Trust--and how his informant factored into it, Jake thought for a moment then said. “Look, You guys do what you need to take down the Trust. However, I’ve been investigating Randall for years. If you’re taking him down, I want to be involved.” 

“We work alone.” Will said, coldly.

“That’s not always true, Will.” Susan pointed out. “And you know it.”

“We don't even know how competent this guy is.” Will argued. "I mean, he's been investigating Randall for years and gotten nowhere."

Tanner bristled at Will's tone. "I wouldn't exactly say nowhere. I don't know how you operate but for me slow and steady tends to win the race."

"Okay, I have another question for you." Will said, defiantly, standing up. "How did you suddenly show up JUST when we were grabbing your informant?"

Jake bristled at Will's tone. "There was nothing *sudden* about it. We had a meeting scheduled. When exactly do you expect us to meet? During working hours?"

To ease matters, Frankie stood up and offered to take Jake to the poolroom so he could talk to Winslow first. Will seethed as he saw the pair walk off. He couldn't believe how comfortable she seemed with him. Two years ago, the woman was cold and standoffish to strangers. It took Will forever to break down her walls but there she was smiling at Agent Tanner like she’d known him for months.

“You had no right bringing him here!” Will told Frankie through gritted teeth when Tanner had left the room.

Stunned, Frankie pointed to Standish who was standing beside her and replied. “Standish said he was clean.”

“So? We said the same thing about Tina and look how that turned out!”

“Hey!” Standish objected.

“Will,” Susan said as she walked over to him, “Calm down.”

“No, I won’t calm down! We have NO idea if we can trust that guy. Sure, he’s FBI. So what? How do we know he’s not working for the Trust?”

“He’s not.” Frankie stated. “Standish says he’s clean and I believe him.”

“Oh, you believe him.” Will said, sarcastically. “Of course, you’ve known Agent Tanner for* so long*.”

“Will, enough!” Susan interjected. “If it makes you feel any better, I looked into Tanner too. From what I can tell he is completely above board.” 

“Right, because, you were so dead on about Tina too.”

Anger flashed in Susan’s eyes. “You’re a real jackass, you know that? I’m going to go in and question Winslow. If you think you can behave like a civilized human being, feel free to come in.”

Afterwards, it was decided that the team would focus on the money trail that help fund the Trust, while Agent Tanner focused on nailing Randall once and for all. As Tanner assisted with the mission, Will had to begrudgingly admit to himself that he was actually a nice guy and a highly competent agent. He just didn’t like how Frankie acted around him. She was so—nice. She’d flash Tanner that smile of hers, the one Will thought was reserved for him and the team. That warm smile that Will didn’t see for WEEKS after he and Frankie met. Yet, there she was dishing it out to Tanner right away. Plus, the way she hung on his every word. Okay, sure, she didn’t like all the ideas Tanner had. But she shot his down a lot easier than she did Will’s when they first met. It took Will forever to break down Frankie’s walls; she didn’t get to do it at the drop of a hat for Tanner. The only saving grace was Tanner would be gone when the mission was over. Unfortunately, Tanner had other plans.

“Say,” Will overheard Tanner say to Frankie as they were saying their goodbyes at the Dead Drop. “How do you feel about having dinner with me?”

“Like a date?” Frankie asked.

“Yeah.” Tanner replied. “Tomorrow good for you?”

Frankie thought for a moment, then smiled. “Sure. Give me a call.” 

It took all of Will’s strength to keep quiet and not say out loud what he was thinking which was “What the hell? You’re going on a date with him?!”

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Frankie sat in her apartment anticipating Jake’s call, imagining what he was going to do for their first date. She couldn’t believe she was actually thinking about it. With the exception of Will, she hadn’t gone an actual first date in forever. Before Will, most of her first dates weren’t even dates—they were one-night stands. But Jake was different—he was an honest to goodness nice guy. His decency and devotion to duty reminded her a lot of Will. They seemed a lot alike but there were differences also. Will tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but with Jake, they were more reigned in. Not that he was emotionally closed off, he just didn’t seem to gush his feelings out the way Will did. Suddenly, Frankie’s phone rang. “It’s him!” she thought.

However, one look at caller ID showed that she was mistaken. "Will? What's wrong?" she answered.

"I'm standing outside your door." he replied.

"What do you mean you’re standing outside my door?" she asked, as she got up from the couch.

Will chuckled, his voice slurring a little. "I mean, I'm drunk and I'm standing outside your door."

"I'm not letting you in, Will." Frankie declared, still speaking to him on her cellphone.

"Franks..." he objected.

"I'm not letting you in." she repeated, a little more adamantly.

Will sighed loudly as he leaned his head against the door. "I could come in if I wanted to and we both know it." 

"But you won't. Now, call yourself a cab and go home."

"But I miss you, Franks." he whined.

"Will..." she began.

"I miss you so much." He said again, putting his hand on her door.

"We can't be together, Will. You know that."

"No, I don't.” he insisted. “Just let me in. We can talk."

Frankie looked at the door, conflicted. A part of her wanted to let him in but another part knew if she did, she’d cave. "I can't do that." she replied. "Get away from my door, Will.”

"Just let me in." he said, pleadingly.

"No. I’m hanging up now. Goodnight." Frankie said. As she hung up, she could hear Will say frantically "No. Don't hang up.” Suddenly, she heard Will's yell through the actual door. "Don’t hang up. Damn it!!!!” Then with an intensity she never expected. Will pounded on her door and yelled "LET ME IN, DAMN IT!!”

Momentarily startled, Frankie steeled herself and said, "Will, stop! I’m calling Susan to take you home. Sit there and wait for her. "

“I’m sorry, I,” he whined.

“Will, no. Sit down out there and wait for Susan. You are NOT coming in here.”

Will slumped down, fingering the door, dejected.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

The next morning, Will woke up and immediately regretted getting drunk the previous night. Not just because he had a hangover but also because he knew he acted like a class A jerk. Pounding on Frankie's door like that--NOT cool. Will remembered Susan taking him home and hoped she was gone. He really didn’t want to face her. Unfortunately, when Will entered his living room, he saw that not only was Susan there, she did NOT look happy. 

"What the hell were you thinking last night?" she asked him without preamble.

Will sighed and sat down on the nearest chair. “I know. It was stupid."

"Stupid?" she asked incredulously as she sat down on the couch, across from him. "No, Standish rambling on comms about being hungry is stupid; Ray typing a text and forgetting to press send is stupid. What you did was completely unacceptable!"

"I let my feelings get the best of me. Like with Gigi.”

"Crying your eyes out in your apartment is one thing, Will." Susan said sternly. "Getting drunk and stalking Frankie is another."

"I didn't stalk her." Will objected. "I just had too much to drink and showed up at her door."

"Where you got angry and yelled at her to let you in."

"Okay." Will conceded. "I did kind of cross the line there."

"Kind of?" she blurted out. "Do you remember when you told Frankie she didn't make you feel safe?"

"Sure." Will replied. "It was our first London mission."

"Well, right now, Frankie doesn't feel safe with you."

"Wait." Will said, startled. "I scared her that much last night?"

Realizing what Will was getting at, Susan scoffed. "Oh, please, if you would've busted in, she would've kicked your ass. No, I'm talking emotionally. She's putting up these boundaries and you’re totally disrespecting them."

"I just want her to see we could work."

"It's not up to you to decide that!" Softening her tone, she sat on the coffee table so she could sit closer to him. "Sweetie, I know you love Frankie. Personally, I think you two are great together. But if she's not feeling it, you have to respect it and move on. Because you bullying her is just not right. "

"First stalking, now bullying. Wow. Am I that awful?"

"Usually, no." she said, as she put her hand on his leg. "You are a great guy. One of the most upstanding men around. But you also have a tendency to let your feelings get the best of you and that's what's happening now."

Soon after, the pair went to the Dead Drop. As Will sat at the bar alone, drinking coffee, Frankie entered and made a beeline right for him. 

. "Whiskey." she said, a hard look on her face.

Looking ashamed, Will replied. "Frankie, I'm sorry about last night, I was..."

"Stop." she interrupted. "What was my main objection to us getting together? Do you remember?"

"It'd affect our partnership. What we do is too important." Will stated. 

"That's right. And you showing up drunk to badger me pretty much proves my point."

Will started to argue. "Frankie..."

"No. This is EXACTLY what I was afraid would happen."

"If you'd just..." he began, frustrated.

"It's over, Will! Now you either have to accept that or, or, I'm going to have to leave the team."

That brought Will up short. "What? Leave?"

"I need to know you'll have my back. Okay? I can't have you walking around hating or resenting me because that's just as dangerous as you putting my safety before the mission. So, if you can't find some way to get past this, then we can't be partners. Is that what you want?"

Will looked stunned. "No." he replied.

"Neither do I. So, what do you want? Do want to be team leader with me or not?”

Will looked at her for a few seconds, and responded. “I do. I know I’ve been a jerk and I; I’ll do better. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Frankie hesitating which causes them to lose their mark on the tarmac was inspired by a scene in All Things Considered by thesearchforbluejello.
> 
> Standish's comment about being in New York again is a reference to the fact that several of my fics tend to be in New York.
> 
> Will showing up at Frankie's drunk was taken from Scandal ep. 3.16 "The Fluffer" (2014). Dialogue was taken from that scene as well.
> 
> Susan's comment about Ray typing a text and forgetting to press send is a nod to exactly that incident which happened in Get You by fierywhiskeyy


	2. Acceptance

Frankie stood in Time Square waiting for Jake to get their hot dogs from the vendor. 

“This is your idea of a first date? A hot dog?” Frankie asked, amused.

Jake shrugged. “You struck me as a low key kind of gal so I figured we’d start slow. Besides these aren’t just any street hot dogs. These are five star.” 

Frankie laughed and took a bite of her hot dog. It was REALLY good. 

“What do you say we take a walk around. Enjoy the sights; talk a little.” Jake suggested. Frankie agreed. 

“So,” Jake started off. “How’d you end up working with the Bureau?” Seeing her look, he added. “I know. It’s classified. Give me the redacted version.”

Frankie thought a moment. “Will and I were both tasked with apprehending the same person. When the mission was over, it was decided we make a pretty good team.”

“No disrespect, but your partner can be a bit of a hard ass.”

Frankie smiled and shook her head. “No, he’s not. Believe me. He’s just going through a tough time. “ Frankie felt guilty as soon as she said it since she was literally the reason Will was going through this tough time. She added, without going into any detail. “He was dating someone and it ended. He’s not handling it very well.”

“Guess I can understand what that’s like.” Jake replied. “When I was going through my divorce, I spent practically every night at the firing range trying to blow off steam.”

“I do that too.” Frankie commented.

Jake stopped and smiled. “How about we continue our date there then?”

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

A pang of jealousy coursed through Will as he sat in the Dead Drop wondering how Frankie’s date went. However, this time, he squashed it down. He just had to accept that he and Frankie were over. It was that or lose her as a friend and he wasn’t prepared to do that. If being her friend meant supporting her relationship with Jake, so be it.

At that moment, the door opened and Will looked over his shoulder and saw Frankie walk in. As casually as possible, Will turned around and asked. “So, how’d your date go?”

Frankie raised an eyebrow. “You really want to know how it went?”

Will took a deep breath. “Sure. That’s what friends do, right?”

Frankie looked at him dubiously, then smiled. “It was good. Nice and low key.” She chuckled. “We even went to the firing range.”

“I’m sure you loved that.” Will said, good naturedly. Getting serious, he added. “Can I ask a question? Don’t get mad but, why? I mean, when we first met, you made it clear you don’t do personal relationships. It took you forever to trust me. Why’s it so easy to trust him? You’ve just met and yet you’re a lot more open with him then you were me.”

“It’s not like I’m telling him my whole life story, Will. Besides, the reason I trust him is, well *because* of you. You showed me that there are some good guys out there; that trust isn’t a sign of weakness. If I’m a little more open around Jake, it’s because you showed me I don’t need to be afraid of that.”

Will felt a pang of something in his heart but it wasn’t jealousy this time, it was pride. “*I* did that?” he asked, in his emotional way.

Frankie rolled her eyes and grinned.. “Yes. Because of you I have a Will Chase in my head telling me to be more open.”

A few weeks later, Will walked into the Dead Drop and saw Frankie sitting at the bar lost in thought.

“What’s up?” Will asked as he sat down next to her.

“Just something with Jake. You don’t want to hear about it.”

“Of course, I do.” he declared.

She shot him a look. “You really want to hear about my love life?”

Will shrugged. “Hey, you gave me advice when I was with Emma. I’m just returning the favor. Plus, you know how much I love to talk about feelings. It’s a win/win.”

Frankie chuckled at that. “Okay. He asked me to go on vacation with him.”

“Ooh,” Will said, his eyes lighting up. “The beach? Because the best vacations are at the beach. Sun, sand, sailing…”

“Okay, okay. I get it.” She said, rolling her eyes. “He’s going to a motorcycle rally at Myrtle Beach. I mentioned before that I can ride and he asked me to go with him.”

“Okay,” Will said, frowning a bit. “Not exactly my idea of a vacation, but at least the beach is there..”

“The problem isn’t the vacation,” Frankie interrupted,” which, by the way, I think is kind of cool. No, the problem is—it’s one thing to go on dates but to go away with him for a week? It’s…”

“Taking things to a whole other level.” Will answered for her.

Frankie nodded. “We haven’t been dating all that long. I mean, it’s been several weeks but..’

“But you like him, right?” Will asked. “and trust him?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should go.” Will answered. “Emma used to say that our jobs are too dangerous to take things slow and she had a point—look what happened to her. If you like Jake, I say go for it.”

Frankie smiled. “Thanks, Whiskey.” She took a deep breath and took out her phone. “I think I will.”

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Immediately after Frankie returned from her vacation, Jake was forced to go undercover to infiltrate a counterfeiting ring upstate New York. The pair had a system when they were on missions—check in at least once every 24 hours. It didn’t have to be a phone call—it could be a short text. Just so one knew the other was okay. Frankie told herself the system was more for Jake then her. She wasn’t the worrying type. She was proven wrong when Jake failed to check in in over 48 hours.

Will saw Frankie leaning against the bar, staring at her phone. He knew exactly what (or who) she was thinking about.

“He’ll be okay.” Will assured her.

Frankie sighed, her back still turned. “You can’t know that.”

Will walked closer. “No, but I have faith. Jake’s a good agent. If there’s a problem, he’ll get through it.”

Frankie turned around and looked at him. “Plenty of good agents have found themselves in trouble and NOT gotten through it.”

“True.” Will conceded. “But many have. You and I have. Separately and as partners. Jai’s gotten through it. So have both Ray and Susan. There are literally thousands upon thousands of former agents collecting retirement because they survived the job.” He put his arms on Frankie’s, “I choose to believe that Jake will be one of the lucky ones.”

“That’s your secret?” she asked, dubiously. “You just choose to believe it?”

“Yes. I do.” he said with a smile. Suddenly, Frankie’s phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and her eyes went wide.

“Jake?” she asked, warily. All at once, she broke out in a huge grin. “Oh, my God! You’re okay!”

Will studied Frankie as she walked to the other side of the room to talk to Jake. God, she looked so happy with that million-dollar smile. Will was relieved that Jake was okay. Not just because Jake was a good guy, but also because Frankie didn’t deserve to feel the same kind of pain he did when he lost Emma. 

“Okay, I’ll see you when you get back.” Will heard Frankie say. When she hung up, she looked at him, her eyes welling up with tears. “He’s okay. You were right. He’s okay.” Suddenly, she hugged Will. “He’s okay.” 

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Weeks later, Frankie knew something was up when Jake suggested they go to a fancy restaurant for dinner. They didn’t do fancy restaurants. Sure, they’d gone out to eat but Jake’s taste was more low key. To be sitting under a chandelier wasn’t his style. During dinner, Frankie found out, she was right.

Jake got serious. “Listen, Frankie, the reason I asked you here is, I, I’m being transferred out of New York.”

Frankie looked up in shock but all she could say was “Oh.”

“It’s nothing bad.” Jake assured her. “In fact, it’s a promotion. I’ll be heading up the white collar division in Chicago.”

Frankie smiled. “Congratulations.”

Jake looked down. “Well, I was thinking. Things between us are going so great—why don’t you come with me?”

Shocked, Frankie replied, “You want me to come to Chicago with you?”

“Yeah.” He responded, with a smile. “I’ve seen you in the field, in the firing range. I’m sure the Chicago field office would be thrilled to have someone of your caliber.”

“Jake, I, I, we haven’t been dating that long. There are things about me you don’t know.”

“Then I’ll find them out later.” he responded with a shrug. Leaning on the table to grab her hand, he continued. “These past few months with you—they’ve been great. I don’t want to lose it.”

“They have been great,” Frankie agreed. “but I have a life here, a team. I don’t know if ready to give that up.”

“Maybe you can lead up another team in Chicago?” he mentioned. Off her look he added. “Look, I’m not leaving until later this month. Take a week to think it over. Okay?”

Frankie gave a small smile and nodded. “Okay.”

As fate would have it, the next day, Frankie and the team were tasked to go to Warsaw on a mission. Frankie tried to imagine this as her last mission. Her last mission briefing from Ray, her last plane ride with this team, Jai’s last piece of weaponized jewelry, the last time hearing Standish ramble on about something, Susan’s last pep talk, Frankie and Will’s last fight with the bad guys, the last post mission toast, one last sappy line from Will. The more she thought about it, the more realized she couldn't do it. This was her team, her family, leaving them just wasn't an option.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *

Weeks later, after the team completed their toast following a successful mission, Frankie and Jake said their goodbyes at the Dead Drop.

“Sure I can’t change your mind?” Jake asked.

Frankie shook her head. “No.” Looking down for a moment, she added. “For most of my life, I worked alone and I liked it that way. I liked not having attachments. These people changed all that. I’m just not ready to give that up. I’m sorry.”

Jake smiled sadly. “No, I understand. Disappointed, but, oh well.” After a slight pause, he added. “Mind if I get one last kiss for the road?”

Frankie smiled and shook her head. “No.” After kissing her, Jake said “Goodbye, Frankie.” Then added with a smile. “Keep on swimming.”

As Frankie watched Jake leave, she felt movement next to her. “You okay?” she heard Will say.

Frankie sighed. “I will be.” She then looked at him and said. “You know those romantic movies you like? They don’t really come true.”

“I don’t know about that.” Will replied. “It’s just you and Jake weren’t meant to be. If you were, you’d be together.”

Frankie looked at him skeptically. “You mean like Fate?”

Will shrugged. “I mean if two people really love each other, they find a way to stay together. Jake wasn’t the guy for you. That doesn’t mean there’s no one else out there.”

“You really believe that?”

Will looked down at her and smiled fondly. "Yes, I firmly believe there is someone out there who’ll win the heart of the fierce Francesca Trowbridge.”

Frankie rolled her eye and chuckled in that way she had when she was calling him a dork. Will loved it when she had that reaction. But he did mean what he said. It may not have been him, it may not have been Jake, but there was someone out there for Frankie. Will really hoped he’d be there to see it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last year, Scott Foley did an interview and described the Frankie/Will relationship as on/off and mentioned that they'd support each other through romantic relationships. Since we saw Frankie support Will while he was with Emma, I figured at some point Frankie would have a love interest. Ever since I read that interview, I've wondered what Will and Frankie being "off" would look like so that was my inspiration for this story.
> 
> the "Will Chase in my head" line was taken from Blood & Treasure.


End file.
